Austin-Bergstrom

After a 30-minute uneventful instrument flight rules (IFR) flight, the business jet landed in the rain on the 4,311ft-long runway. The pilot reported, and runway skid marks corroborated, that the airplane touched down about 1,000 ft from the approach end of the runway. The pilot reported braking action was initially normal and the anti-skid system cycled twice before it stopped working and he was unable to slow the airplane using the emergency brakes. The airplane continued off the departure end of the runway where it traveled through wet grass and a fence before coming to rest with the landing gear collapsed. A video of the airplane during the landing roll indicated there was a significant amount of water on the runway. No mechanical anomalies were found with the brake/antiskid systems during the postaccident examination of the airplane. Marks on the runway indicated functionality of the antiskid system. Stopping performance calculations estimated the distance required to stop the airplane on the runway was about 4,127 ft. The runway length remaining after the airplane touched down was about 3,311 ft. The pilot was aware of the runway length and weather conditions prior to departure and reported that he should have not accepted the trip.

On final approach to runway 02, the copilot informed the captain about the fact that the approach speed was too high by 20 knots to the reference speed. The captain replied he would correct this but the airplane landed too far down runway 02, about 993 metres before the end of the runway which is 2,010 metres long but with a displaced threshold, giving a landing distance available of 1,700 metres. Upon touchdown, the aircraft's speed was 142 knots, about 14 knots above the speed reference according to existing conditions and weight and balance. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, went down an embankment, crossed a road and came to rest against a second embankment, broken in two. All six occupants were slightly injured and the aircraft was destroyed. Owned by TVPX, it was operated by Silver Air.

Witnesses reported observing the airplane flying slowly toward the airport at a low altitude. The left engine was at a low rpm; "sputtering," "knocking," or making a "banging" noise; and trailing black smoke. One witness said that, as the airplane passed over his location, he saw the tail "kick" horizontally to the right and the airplane bank slightly left. The airplane subsequently collided with trees and impacted a field 1/2 mile north of the airport. Disassembly of the right engine revealed no anomalies, and signatures on the right propeller blades were consistent with power and rotation on impact. The left propeller was found feathered. Disassembly of the left engine revealed that the spark plugs were black and heavily carbonized, consistent with a rich fuel-air mixture; the exhaust tubing also exhibited dark sooting. The rubber boot that connected the intercooler to the fuel injector servo was found dislodged and partially sucked in toward the servo. The clamp used to secure the hose was loose but remained around the servo, the safety wire on the clamp was in place, and the clamp was not impact damaged or bent. The condition of the boot and the clamp were consistent with improper installation. The time since the last overhaul of the left engine was about 1,050 hours. The last 100-hour inspection occurred 3 months before the accident, and the airplane had been flown only 0.8 hour since then. It could not be determined when the rubber boot was improperly installed. Although the left engine had failed, the pilot should have been able to fly the airplane and maintain altitude on the operable right engine, particularly since he had appropriately feathered the left engine.

The pilots reported that the cargo airplane was about 60 pounds over its maximum takeoff weight. Because their taxi to the assigned runway was long, they decided to reduce weight by using higher-than-normal engine power settings to burn fuel before takeoff while using the wheel brakes to control the airplane’s speed while taxiing. During the taxi, a fire ignited in the right wheel housing. The pilots brought the airplane to a stop on the taxiway, evacuated, and attempted to extinguish the fire with two handheld fire extinguishers. Airport firefighting personnel arrived on scene and extinguished the fire using foam suppressant. Although the fire damage was extensive, postaccident examination of the airplane did not show evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures with the wheel and brake system that could have caused the fire. The right and left main landing gear tires deflated when the fusible plugs in the wheels blew due to overheating. The fusible plugs are designed to “fail” if the wheels overheat, and those plugs functioned as designed. The pilots stated that they had been trained to not ride the brakes while taxiing. However, the captain stated that he did not realize that he was in danger of blowing the tires much less causing a fire, otherwise he would not have attempted to bum off excess fuel while taxiing.

The 14,000-hour airline transport pilot was hired to fly the owner of the airplane and his mother on a cross country flight. Approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot reported that he had a rough running engine and declared an emergency. A review of ATC voice communications revealed that the pilot had changed his mind several times during the emergency about diverting to a closer airport or continuing to the intended destination. Prior to his last communication, the pilot informed ATC that he, "was not gonna make it." The sole survivor of the accident reported that the flight was normal until they approached their destination. He said, "all of a sudden the engines did not sound right." The right engine sounded as if the power was going up and down and the left engine was sputtering. The airplane started to descended and the pilot made a forced landing in wooded area. The cockpit, fuselage, empennage, and the right wing were consumed by post-impact fire. A review of fueling records revealed that the pilot had filled the main tanks prior to the flight for a total of 213.4 gallons; of which 206 gallons were usable (103 gallons per side). During the impact sequence, the left wing separated at the wing root and did not sustain any fire damage. No fuel was found in the tank, and there was no discoloration of the vegetation along the left side of the wreckage path or around the area where the wing came to rest. The left fuel selector was found set to the LEFT MAIN tank, and the right fuel selector valve was set between the LEFT and RIGHT MAIN tanks. This configuration would have allowed fuel to be supplied from each tank to the right engine. A review of the airplane's Information Manual, Emergency Procedures Engine Failure During Flight (speed above air minimum control speed) instructed the pilot to re-start the engine, which included placing both fuel selector handles to the MAIN tanks (Feel for Detent). If the engine did not start, the pilot was to secure the engine, which included closing the throttle and feathering the propeller. The propellers were not feathered. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical deficiencies.

The airplane was flying a full instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 18 at a high altitude airport (elevation 6,445 feet), in a mountainous area, at night. The control tower was closed for the night. The airport was located in a national park, and, therefore, the runway lights were not left on during the night. During non-tower operation hours, the procedure for turning on the runway lights called for the pilot to key the microphone multiple times on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), which was the tower frequency. The copilot of the accident airplane made multiple attempts to turn on the runway lights using the UNICOM frequency, which had been the CTAF until about 6 months before the accident. The captain continued his landing approach below approach minimums without the runway lights being on. While in the landing flare, the captain reported that strong cross-winds and blowing snow created a "white-out" weather condition. The airplane touched down 195 feet left of the runway centerline in snow covered terrain between the runway and taxiway. Two ILS Runway 18 approach plates were found in the airplane. One was out of date and showed the UNICOM frequency as the CTAF. The other was current and showed the tower frequency as the CTAF. All four occupants escaped uninjured, among them the actress Sandra Bullock and the musician Bob Schneider.

The crew was performing a positioning flight from Austin-Bergstrom Airport to LBJ Ranch to pick up Lyndon B. Johnson. vice-president of the United States. En route, the crew was informed about weather conditions at destination with low clouds and low visibility due to rain falls. While approaching the ranch under VFR mode, the pilot was unable to locate the runway due to lack of visibility (night and rain) and decided to return to Austin when the airplane struck the ground and crashed. Both pilots were killed.

The crew departed Bergstrom AFB (Austin) on a B-52 refuelling mission. En route, while cruising in a low pressure area with turbulences, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion. All four crew members were killed. Brand new, the airplane has been delivered six weeks prior to the accident.
Crew:
Lt Rodney Anderlitch,
Maj Jesse Lee Myrick,
Lt Philip Camillo de Bonis,
Sgt Herman Allison Clark.

The crew was completing a night training mission at Bergstrom AFB. On final approach, the airplane was too low and crashed in flames short of runway. Four crew members were rescued while five others were killed. Few hours later, one of the survivor died from his injuries.
Those killed were:
Lt Ronald Rosetti,
Lt Robert E. Smith,
Sgt Edward Clifford Clemmons,
Sgt Thomas Salazar,
A2c Michael Bryan McIntosh,
Lt Don Anderson Berg.

The crew was forced to make an emergency belly landing southeast of Bergstrom AFB, near Austin. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.